The conventional wisdom dictates that it's unwise to be overly creative with your personal statement. Similarly, it's considered dangerous to allow too much "bleeding heart" optimism or "I want to save the world" naiveté to show through in your application. While I think there is merit to both of those arguments, I wouldn't take them too far. As you'll see below, I allowed more than a little creativity and optimism to show throughin my statement, which I think was bolstered by demonstrable "public interest/service" work in other parts of my application as well. So, if you really are interested in doing public interest law one day, and have the resume to prove it, don't be afraid to make that claim for your audience.
Also, I know I'm not the only one who felt like they've lived a pretty "boring" life so far (meaning, no near-death experiences or jail cell epiphanies). Therefore, the common strategy of gripping your reader with a startling narrative "hook" wasn't really available to me. But again, I think there are plenty of other, perfectly good ways to get your reader's attention--especially if you're willing to go out on a limb a bit.
You can check my TLS profile to see how I fared this cycle, and judge for yourself if it was a good risk to take or not. Without further ado, I now present my (heavily revised: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 18&t=83734) personal statement for your reading pleasure:
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I have always wanted to be a knight. As a boy, I read countless stories about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, often bringing them to life in my backyard with the straightest stick I could find becoming my own shining Excalibur. There was much in the image of the brave cavalier that captured my youthful imagination: the sense of unrivaled strength; the grace of the skilled swordsman; the valor of leading the charge into battle against an implacable foe. But those overt characteristics could not have been all that attracted me, for many of them could just as easily be ascribed to the villains of the stories as to the heroes, and I would never have willingly assumed the part of Mordred in my mock battles. Looking deeper into the legends, there appear to be certain indelible qualities which set the true (i.e., good) knights apart from the merely powerful ones. Though I did not know it then, I believe it is this latter set of qualities which instilled in me aspirations of knighthood.
The first of these qualities was the gift of discernment—the ability to differentiate between right and wrong. Discernment was what enabled a knight to distinguish a just cause from an unjust one, in order that he might choose the better side to champion. In my own life, this kind of knowledge has historically grown out of my Christian faith. I am grateful that my parents began taking me to church with them when I was very young, and that much of my identity and sense of morality were initially formed in Sunday school. Over the years, that faith has changed and grown in step with an increased understanding of the multi-faceted world in which I live. And while it would be false to say that every action I take is dictated by the precepts of Christian Scripture, it is true that virtually all of my decisions have been informed by my knowledge and experience of God. Though I would never presume to force my beliefs on anyone else, neither am I ashamed to admit where my moral center lies.
But what good would it be for a knight to recognize the right choice in a situation if he was unwilling to put aside his own agenda to fight for it? Selflessness—a commitment to serving someone or something outside of oneself—is therefore the next defining characteristic of a true knight. Learning to practice this kind of selflessness has been a lengthy process for me. A notable step in this direction took place when I built houses for a summer in Tijuana and saw the potential for simple acts of service to transform not only those being served but also the one serving. In my work for the Department of Social Services and ____ Chapel, I have met some remarkable people who are further along in this process than I. Through their example, I have come to realize that real selflessness cannot fit inside of a summer project. Rather, it is a lifetime decision to put others’ needs above one’s own, despite the cost.
Unfortunately for the knight, this kind of selflessness invariably did involve a cost, often in the form of being exposed to dangers he might otherwise have avoided. For this reason, a final characteristic which united the very best knights of legend was their devotion to a quest—a mission for which they would gladly spend the various currencies of their lives. I believe I have found such a quest for my life in the work of organizations like the International Justice Mission (IJM). Today, IJM works all over the world to combat various manifestations of violent oppression, including human trafficking, unlawful property seizure, and police brutality. Though battling these forces presents what is likely an endless and potentially very dangerous prospect—the human rights activists martyred in Chechnya last summer stand as a testament to the perils of such work—IJM persistently operates through established legal avenues to bring relief to victims and to hold perpetrators to account for their crimes. I can think of no better way to utilize my resources of time, energy, and education than engaging with this work of delivering tangible justice to those under the yoke of slavery or worse.
In an effort to combat the injustices of this age, a properly trained and applied legal mind can act both as a shield against the forces of deception and tyranny and as a sword to rightly punish the perpetrators of those injustices. To accomplish these feats, however, requires more than mere intelligence, or eloquence, or boldness in a courtroom. Just as with the knights I emulated growing up, becoming a good lawyer and a true advocate for the disenfranchised requires discernment to comprehend what the reality of a situation is and what the next step should be. It requires selflessness to seek the client’s best interests above one’s own. And it requires a devotion to justice, despite the difficulties or even persecution that may come. If there is still a place in the world for a true knight, I believe it is in a court of law, defending those who are without the means to defend themselves. Therefore, it is with both eagerness and trepidation that this humble aspirant seeks admittance to _______ Law School, that he might become properly equipped to take the next step forward in pursuit of his quest.
